Smartest Guy at the Bar: UFC Fight Night ‘Dillashaw vs. Cruz’ Edition

A championship’s value in combat sports is determined by the quality of the fighter who holds it and the quality of those vying for it. That’s what makes rivalries between the best fighters compelling before any punches are thrown: the converging focus on a title representing the most elite competitor in the division or the sport. Boston has a rich history with the world’s best. One need only look at the Celtics’ 17 NBA championships. The Ultimate Fighting Championship never had its shot to take center stage at the legendary Boston Garden, where the Celtics built their historic might. However, the Octagon has three trips to the Celtics’ new home, the TD Garden, already in the books. A fourth is on the way this Sunday, when T.J. Dillashaw’s bantamweight title is up for grabs against former champion Dominick Cruz, who was forced to vacate the belt due to recurring injuries. The UFC last visited the TD Garden a year ago, when Conor McGregor brought record-breaking Fox Sports 1 viewership with him. His encounter with Dennis Siver was the most-viewed cable-television fight for the UFC in six years. It takes a title bout to follow the McGregor show, and the UFC delivers worthwhile value with UFC Fight Night “Dillashaw vs. Cruz” -- free.

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HOW WE GOT HERE: The last time Cruz entered the Octagon with the 135-pound championship was Oct. 1, 2011. “The Dominator” successfully defended his UFC title against Demetrious Johnson on the now defunct Versus network. Between Cruz’s four title defenses in World Extreme Cagefighting and the UFC, he logged the maximum 100 minutes of fight time. However, injuries left the Alliance MMA star without a definitive follow-up to his victory over “Mighty Mouse,” prompting the UFC to strip him of the bantamweight championship. He gave way to two subsequent champions, first Renan Barao and then T.J. Dillashaw, without ever losing inside the cage. Dillashaw stopped Barao on two different occasions. All Cruz could muster in his role as a non-champion was a 61-second finish on Takeya Mizugaki, as he became the first person to knock out the Japanese veteran in 30 fights. The cathartic moment came after Cruz spent nearly three full years on the sideline. Unfortunately for Cruz, he had to wait to challenge for the belt he once held because of yet another injury. It has been so long since Cruz was champion that Johnson entered a non-existent weight class, established himself as the inaugural flyweight champion and defended the title seven times. Dillashaw contends Cruz’s reign is a thing of the past and will remain that way. When Cruz beat Johnson, Dillashaw was new to MMA, a 4-0 prospect competing on “The Ultimate Fighter.” He plugged away, rebounded from his knockout loss to John Dodson in the Season 14 finale and went on a 5-1 run inside the bantamweight division. Dillashaw then upset Barao in a breakout 2014 performance to capture the 135-pound crown. He has not relinquished the top spot in the division since and now has his greatest opportunity to demonstrate why ... Anthony Pettis dropped the UFC lightweight title to Rafael dos Anjos in March without winning a single round. “Showtime” will finally get a chance to put the loss behind him against two-time Bellator MMA champion Eddie Alvarez. The 31-year-old Alvarez lost his UFC debut to Donald Cerrone before bouncing back to defeat former Strikeforce titleholder Gilbert Melendez in a slower-than-expected split decision in June, this despite suffering a fractured orbital. The lightweight division is packed with contenders, and Pettis-Alvarez serves as a quality co-main event.

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TIME FOR THE REAL CHAMPION TO STAND UP: The bantamweight division has struggled to find its identity, due in large part to Cruz’s injuries. Thus, his getting a match with Dillashaw does much for building cornerstones moving forward. The weight class has lagged behind others that transitioned from the WEC to the UFC since Cruz defeated rival Urijah Faber in 2011 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first sub-lightweight pay-per-view headliner. Despite all his time away, Cruz has not missed out on many contenders, though Dillashaw has emerged as the new benchmark. The disdain for one another this dispute has brought out in Dillashaw and Cruz almost renders the former champion’s inactivity a cold subject now that his talk has provided some heat to the bout. The Dillashaw-Cruz winner will have momentum to shape the division in his image in high-profile title fights to come. Faber appears to have dibs on a grudge match with whoever emerges victorious, giving the rightful bantamweight champion the opportunity to draw attention and money to the 135-pound division in 2016.

LIGHTWEIGHT’S SUPER EFFORT: Pettis appeared to have the MMA world on a platter as a young champion, having delivered back-to-back quick finishes in UFC title fights against Melendez and Benson Henderson. He became the first mixed martial artist to ever appear on a Wheaties box, though that mainstream crossover came with a bitter sting when dos Anjos pried the 155-pound title away from Pettis. “Showtime” was in the midst of something remarkable, as a stylistically opulent fighter and technical finisher. His ascent to crossover stardom can resume, provided he returns to his winning ways. However, the hallmark of the lightweight division is its deep pool of contenders, which can surprise on any given night. A victory for Pettis here means a disappointing 1-2 start to Alvarez’s long-anticipated UFC run. For that reason, one has to think Alvarez will come after the Duke Roufus protégé with renewed fervor as he searches for a signature win. The Philadelphia native has within his grasp the chance to become an instant UFC title contender. Both Pettis and Alvarez have been visible lightweights for the last five years, so their co-main event clash will leave an imprint on the championship picture at 155 pounds, where the climb always seems harder and higher.

SAY WHAT: “[Dillashaw] just wanted nothing to do with talking. Man, I don’t necessarily want to be here talking to your ugly face, either, but I’m here so you might as well talk to me -- but he wouldn’t do it. I don’t know what’s wrong with the guy. We’re here. He’s like, ‘I’m here to fight. I’m not here to talk.’ Man, we’re here to talk. That’s why we’re in front of this camera. Why else are we here? If we were here to fight, we’d be in the cage already. What’s wrong with you?” -- Cruz in an interview with “UFC Tonight.”

AWARDS WATCH: Pettis and Alvarez have 15 minutes or less to make “Fight of the Night” impressions, and that’s more than enough time for them; Cruz stands to pull down the first back-to-back award bonuses of his career; and the final performance bonus goes to heavyweight Travis Browne in his knockout-or-be-knocked-out main card heavyweight battle with Matt Mitrione.

Danny Acosta is a SiriusXM Rush (Channel 93) host and contributor. His writing has been featured on Sherdog.com for nearly a decade. Find him on Twitter and Instagram @acostaislegend.